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ROSA DANIELEWICZ. 



ROSE PETALS 




BY 

ROSA DANIELEWICZ 



Designed and Illustrated tp the Author. 



OAKLAND. CALIFORNIA 
1911 






Copyrighted by 

ROSA DANIELEWICZ. 
1911. 



©CI.A30o§82 





IKE soft rose petals in the sun — 

Their perfume wafted sv/eet — 
So let these pages, one by one. 

Laid humbly at your feet] 
(Some worthiness you may presume. 

Dear friends, in them to find) 
Unto your heart waft sweetest thought 
And soothe your eager mind. 




MOTHER, with thine eyes of blue. 
Thy voice so soft and heart so true; 
With mind so strong and fine and bright. 
Thy guidance kept me in the right ; 

When tempting paths oped wide to me 
I dared not forth; — thy trust in me 
A sacred trust I held to be — 
It kept me from temptation free. 

Whene'er I wandered, near or far, 
Thy Spirit was my guiding star; 
Where'er my weary feet have trod 
Thy heart has kept me near to God. 



m: 



Y father, dost thou sometimes feel 
As thoughts of thee all gently steal 
'^To thee of my heart's loneliness? 
3 O'er me, how much I might confess 

So simple was thy life, — so just — 
In God above so great thy trust, 
Thou knewest, ah, so well, what it meant 
To struggle and to be content. 

Ah, oft looms up before my mind 
Thy gentle heart with feelings kind; 
And other children, on thy knee. 
Oft felt thy sense of sympathy. 

Thy hands knew well what 'twas to toil 
And reap the harvest from the soil; 
Thy heart knew also what it meant 
To lose it all and be content. 

father, who art gone before. 
Thy face smiles on me as of yore. 
As on my head thy hand was laid 

In blessing; would thou here hadst staid! 

Art happy in thy home above? 
Thou art if thou canst feel my love; 

1 know at last in peace thou art. 
For I can feel it in my heart. 



THANKSGIVING. 

Lord, I thank thee for the light 

That placed this great world in my sight; 

1 thank Thee for its fruit and flowers, — 
Its peaceful night,— its sunny hours; 

For Truth that bids me quench the tear 
And frees my mind from doubt and fear; 
I thank Thee for each breath of air. 
For all life's pleasures 'midst its care; 
For strength through struggling as I rove — 
For Hope that lights my path with Love. 
I thank Thee for each friend sincere 
Who makes me glad that I am here; 
For all the good I hold and give, 
Each day I thank Thee that I live. 

FAITH. 
Faith, blind Faith, ah, who shall say 'tis blind? 
Not any more than other thoughts we leave behind 
When rays of light that once filled portals wide 
Now with the shadows glimmer side by side. 

Faith, blind Faith, ah, who shall say 
That Faith may bridge the chasm of to-day? 
More wondrous yet — that chasm may not be 
Where Faith dislodges gloom and sets minds free. 




^vWHAT IS LIFE? 
O, what is Life? Pray tell to me 
Just what Life is, or seems to thee. 
Or what it was, or e'er will be. 
Will it be the same through Eternity? 

What more in Life than living? 

What ways of pleasure giving? 
Is it in our hands, not His, 
To make Life what it is? 

Why, then, does earthly pleasure 

Claim sorrow in each measure? 
Why, then, do they who strive 
By honest means to thrive 
Ne'er pleasure near them find? 
Is it fault of humankind? 
If it is, why can't we right it? 
If otherwise, please cite it. 

** *0, what is Life?' One happy day 

Of sunshine, birds and flowers, 
Where Love and Beauty reign alway — 
Rich-laden are the hours." 

— So saith children in their play; 
So saith youth and maiden gay. 



**Dost ask what's Life? A sunny day; 

We sleep and eat and drink. 
And banish every care away — 
Of joy alone we think." 

- — So saith unambitious minds — 
So saith man who fortune finds. 

*'* What is this Life?' A constant strain 

Of steady, ceaseless strife 
Along the rugged, stormy main, 
To guard 'gainst troubles rife." 

— So saith man with aching brow. 

O man, seest naught but **then" and '*now"? 

'*Wouldst know what's Life? It is but Hope: — 

Kill Hope and Life is gone. 
With every kind of strife to cope, 

Hearts resting light and long 
On visions sweet for the to-morrow. 

Is Life," saith they in Life's first sorrow. 

*'0, *what is Life?' A silver lute — 

A Harp of thousand strings; 
Each plays a note the theme to suit. 

And the melodies it brings 
Harmonious or discordant sound." 

— This is Life by the poet found. 



**What is this Life but soulful dreams. 

Or memories, sad and sweet. 

Which tell of noble work that seems 

Laid at the Maker's feet." — 

— Thus pleadeth hearts of Charity; 
O, Life so sweet is rarity. 

"Of Life wouldst know? 'Tis well to ask. 

Heed Duty to the end; 
Do right, ask naught; live that thy Task 
May be thy life-long friend." — 

— So saith Conscience day and night; 
And they live well who heed this right. 

**Life is unrest, — to honor bear. 

To master be — not slave." 
**A wreath upon thy brow to wear," 
'*A name — a soul — to save." — 

— Thus Pride, Ambition, Love — these three- 
In chorus sing what Life should be. 

**Life is plain Truths. O, bear in mind 

The secret of true living 
Exists in noble souls, who find 

That Life is worth the living." — 

—Thus saith Philosophers so wise 

And souls who 'bove all low things rise. 



Thus each finds answer in his soul ; 
Thus parts make up harmonious whole; 
And thus my own soul, claiming part 
In this, doth answer from my heart: 
My spirit bids me look Above, 
For Love is Life, and Life is Love; 

Aught else availeth not. 
Our Life here is a precious gift,— 

'Tis sacred — desecrate it not; 

And wheresoe'er be cast thy lot. 
Thy mind and soul uplift. 

THE CHARITABLE MIND. 
**0 wad some power the gift tie gie us" 
Prove we're not always as friends see us; 
'T would from many a false doubt free us 
And other ailings. 

**0 wad some power the gift tie gie us" 
From all false doubts for e'er to free us; 
**For charity to e'er be wie us" 
Towards others' failings. 

To always see through beauty's eye 
With mind that rests on levels high; — 
In such an atmosphere to be. 
Though always seeing, yet not to see — 

Could such a power to us be given, 
The very earth would seem a Heaven, 
And any act by such a friend 
Could never once our thoughts offend. 



TIME TO TRY. 
There is a time for all things; 

A time to laugh, to cry; 
A time to work, a time to play, 

And always time to try. 
A time to weave good habits — 

And on yourself rely ; 
To make your mark in life you'll find 

'Tis always time to try. 

There is much time for little things; 

Much time to look on High; 
To lift the mind from sordid ruts 

Now's the time to try. 
There's time to drive dull care away 

And bid good fairies hie; 
To soothe the sick and sorrowing soul 

There's always time to try. 

There's time for deeds not yet begun; 

There's even time to die; 
There's time to make the best of life, 

Yes, always time to try. 
There's time to follow Duty's path. 

Don't wait till bye-and-bye; 
To-day's the time — now's the time — 

'Tis always time to try. 




THE TEST. 
O man of genius, man of gifts. 
To thee the world doth bow. 
Thou toilest well and weavest crowns 
Of laurel for thy brow. 

O man of genius — thou whose means 

Affords thy bread, at least, — 

With fullness burns thy God-given light. 

For thou canst work and feast. 

O man of genius — thou to whom 

In homage bows the world — 

While no dark thought obscures thy light. 

Nor cares are yet unfurled. 

Thou hast a lesson yet to learn — 
One test to claim the crown: 
Go seek companionship with souls 
Who to the world bow down; 
Go likewise suffer hunger's pang, 
And suffer it again; 
Then try to use thy gifts within 
When tear-drops dim thy pen. 




The flame that burns within thy soul 

Oft true art doth reveal; 

Go spread those beams to lighten care 

And aching hearts to heal. 

With mind and soul uplifted high 

Among the worms go tread; 

With toiling hands and aching heart 

Go earn thy daily bread. 

If then thy gifts acknowledged be — 

If just as bright thy flame 

As when thou didst bask in Midas' beams. 

Then Genius is thy name. 

If then the world doth honor thee. 

If thou canst do the same 

As when thy life ran smooth and free, — 

Then truly thine the fame. 



SPRINGTIME. 
The wintry sky has passed away. 

Soft fleecy clouds o'er head; 
A balmy, fresh, sunshiny day 

In Winter's sterner stead. 
Beneath, the velvet carpets. 

The soft, blue veil above — 
And balmy breezes all around 

Now waft the breath of Love. 

The music of the little birds 

Suggest Life's happy hours; 
And childhood's happy days return 

In culling Spring's first flowers; 
The bud suggests the blossom — 

The leaf, the shady tree ; 
The present shapes the future — 

This leads to the Life to be. 

But Time will tread the carpet 

And tears will dim the veil; 
And the voices of the little birds 

Some day perchance will fail. 
The rose will lose its blushes — 

And Springtime fade away, 
Yet the glory of these shall prevail 

Where Hope makes Spring alway. 



For Life is Hope and Hope is Life 

And Spring is Hope and Love; 

The beauties of the earth remain 

'Neath the glory of Above. 

Our minds must grasp the meaning — 

Our souls shall feel the light — 

And spreading sunshine thus about 

Make other lives as bright. 

For truest lives are those that find 

New beauties every day; 

They bless the Giver of all good, 

And thus have Spring alway. 

CHARACTER. 
Be not cast dov/n; the sun doth shine 

For thee as well as me; 
The moon still beams; the stars are thine; 

Thy ship waits on the sea. 

Be not bowed down; thy trials bear. 
For they were meant for thee; 

'Tis suffering forms the character 
And moulds man's destiny. 

Into thy life learn how to weave 
With thy heart's threads of gold 

All woof that rises in thy path; 

Thus mayst thou enshrine thy soul. 




HARMONY. 

There is a power to every one here given 

To make or mar our lives. Do what we will. 

Sweet suasion rules, — not force; souls can't be driven. 
Nor smiles coerced, nor water run up hill. 

'Tis Love alone that rules this mighty earth; 

7 he harmony of sun and moon and stars 
Reveals this Truth — could we but know its worth — 

True Life is Harmony and all else mars. 

Hearts driven to work will wear out in their gloom ; 

The mind coerced gleams through a mist of tears; 
(Like forced buds unyielding is the bloom) ; 

One ray of Truth dispels all doubts and fears. 

The **harmonie divine" — 'tis artist's soul, 

'Tis poet's theme, 'tis all that makes life great; 

'Tis sung afar and near from pole to pole. 

And yet found wanting oft in home and state. 

Let fall the mask of base hypocrisy; 

False pride, cold greed and jealous thoughts destroy; 
And countenance of Love will shine on thee — 

Life be enriched — as ''brothers" all enjoy. 



"^ ' ^ _^ ^» 3 i ^ hiL^i^EScr-- — •_ 



PRAYER. 
Just for strength, dear Lord, I pray ; 
Strength fof just another day; 
Strength to keep my heart in place 
And the smile upon my face; 
Strength my daily bread to earn. 
And Life's lesson yet to learn. 
Only give me strength, O Lord, 
The rushing billows of 1 ime to ford ; 
To do my duty — my daily task — 
Grant me this; 'tis all I ask. 




•*ONLY THE SPIRIT AVAILETH. 
'Tis Spirit guides the world along — 
It lives in Truth, it soars in Song; 
And word or thought, howe'er expressed. 
Or action, rough or gently dressed, 
Sufficeth not; but is impressed 
By strength of Spirit. 

Oft times a word unsent, unbidden, 
Betrays a deeper thought still hidden; 
The Spirit though, of thought or word 
Preceded both e'er either stirred. 

Say what we will, do what we may. 
The Spirit grows from day to day; 
And like the essence of the rose, 
When heart is crushed the Spirit grows. 

What though the storms beat o'er and o'er. 
What though the heart bends sad and sore; 
With Spirit guiding in the right 
We need not waver, need not fight; 
But working hard, serene, secure 
In Spirit, we may much endure. 



THE MIGHT OF LITTLE THINGS. 
It is the little things that tell, 

The petty acts that make the whole. 
It is the little things that tell 

The worth and substance of the soul. 

The grains of sand upon the land, 

The water drops that make the sea, — 
The cheery smile, the helping hand — 
All these mean much to you and me. 

To you and me whose pulses beat 
A rhythm with the thought of things. 

Whose every breath fans into flame 

A voice that God*s great blessing sings — 

To you and me the little things — 
The cheery smile, the gentle hand. 

The sympathy that stirs the soul 

And lifts us up to heights more grand — 

These little things a bulwark are, — 
The whole wide universe they sway; 

And monarch, peasant, strong and weak. 
Must to these little things give way. 





HIS THOUGHTS OF HER. 
'O maid of my heart! To thee art given 
Ihe blessed gifts that spring from Heaven; 
And Heaven is in the heart of thine — 
O maid of Love! Sweet maid of mine! 

O maid of my heart! O maid from Above! 
Of the simple faith and the simple love; 
So simply sweet, so simply true, 
So simply grand in all you do, — 
So simply sweet you do not know 
The simple truth: I love you so. 

THOUGHTS OF HIM. 
Is he good, is he true. 

Are his thoughts and each act 

A solid, compact 
Chord of vibrations for you? 

Is he brave, is he bold? 

Does he do, does he dare 

Work with such care 
For you, or for sordid gold? 

Is he wise, is he queer? 

Are his sympathies strong? 

A vibrating song 
Full of life's love for you, dear? 




ATTUNED. 

She brought you with angelic grace. 
Her moods so sweet, her sunny face; 
To you she brought such honeyed bliss. 
You sipped it in each ardent kiss. 

All that was loveliest, sweetest, best. 
She gave to you and kept the rest; 
She kept the rest — a desert vast — 
With oases of memories past. 

Within these oases there grew 

A feeling strong, with senses new; 

Like tendrils reaching out to find 

Support, her thoughts round yours entwined. 

Your heart encompassed her about. 
Your strength of mind freed her from doubt; 
And soon again the desert bloomed — 
Her heart to yours was new attuned. 



ALL THINGS COME TO THEM THAT WAIT. 
All things come to them that wait; 
Crooked paths \vill then be straight; 
Things are as they ought to be 
When the heart waits patiently. 
Without patience none can do| 
This it is draws sunshine to 
Souls, and leaves contentment there; 
* 'Strength to wait", should be our prayer. 

All things come to them that wait; 
Work, and do not contemplate 
On the time that's passing by, 
But to do good always try, 
God gives all some work to do — 
Patience leads us smoothest through; 
Working keeps us free from harm; 
Waiting gives to Hope a charm. 

All things come to them that wait; 
Saddest trials will compensate 
If we work but patiently 
'Mong the thorns that have to be; — 
If we walk but steadily 
In the path that is to be. 
There a garden we shall find 
Pleasing heart and easing mind. 



All things come to them that wait; 
Love will even conquer Hate; 
Friends who parted once, estranged. 
By Time's balsam will be changed. 
The suffering heart, the pangs we feel — 
All disappointments — Time will heal. 
Blessed they who work and wait, — 
Patience opes the Heavenly Gate. 

TRUTH. 
It breathes on mountain top and dale, 

It moves on sea and shore; 
For mighty 'tis and will prevail 

When man shall be no more. 

In deepest caverns Truth is wrought; 

It floats upon the wind ; 
There is no spot where it is not — 

It moveth all mankind. 

'Tis felt in laughter's joyousness; 

'Tis found in trouble's sting; 
It is the weight of worthiness ; 

The strength of everything. 

It is man's armor, holy wrought 

For wrongs that need redress. 
Hail, Torch of Truth! Effulgent Thought! 

The emblem of PROGRESS. 



INTROSPECTION. 
Another night draws near, proud soul. 

What hast thou done? 
Look back into the day's long hours — 

Inspect each one; 
Consider well each passing minute 
And tell what good thou hast done it. 

Another night! O, list, strong mind: 

Bright lights above 
Reflect the golden fringe of day 

With beams of love. 
Another night! What ray of thine, O mind. 
Hast thou in love bestowed on humankind? 

The night doth catechise, proud heart. 

Why beat so slow? 
Another morn the night doth follow 

Again — e'en so. 
The silvery stars to Aurora blink **adieu"; 
The mind in quiet pulse breathes hope anew. 

The night still follows morn, and morn, the night; 
Each leads, yet follows — both are in the right; 
And mind must guide the heart which props the mind- 
Each one a power in harmony combined. 



As day and night make up the whole 

Of Earth's great plan, 
So heart and mind unite in soul 

And guideth man. 

Another night! Give thought, O man! 

Done is the day 
Through which you strove in God's great plan. 

Now pray! 

Pray for the day's long brightness; 
Ask for thy own heart's lightness; 

For thy soul, pray. 
Pray for a mind made strong. 
Pray for a heart of song ; 
For a great and noble soul, — 

O, pray. 




THE TIRED HEART. 
If yet some moments we could dwell 

On aught that makes life sweet; 
If drudging could soul-hunger quell — 

If mind could rise 'bove feet; — 
If thus in Fancy we could rove 

For one brief moment, even, 
The mind illumined by such Love 

Might lead our souls to Heaven. 




THE FAREWELL. 
Scene I. 

We walk together on the quay— 

The moon shines forth from azure skies; 
A white boat glides and the stars arise 

O'er the shimmering sheen of the silvery sea. 

Scene II. 

I stand and muse upon the quay — 
My soul soars upward to the skies; 
Thoughts deep and solemn now arise 
And search the sad and silent sea. 

Scene III. 

I stand alone upon the quay; 

All clouded are the azure skies; 

The sails are sped and the waves arise 
O'er the glimmering gleam of the starless sea. 

Scene IV. 

I wander back along the quay — 
I turn my gaze from azure skies; 
Deep thoughts within me do not rise — 
My lone heart sighs with the surging sea. 



FOREVER AND FOREVER. 
Forever and forever 

The seasons come and go; 
Rich autumn follows summer's heat, 

And springtime, winter's snow. 
Forever and forever 

Our life thoughts come and go; 
The mind works on in favored paths 

And keeps our hearts aglow. 
Forever and forever 

The tide will ebb and flow; 
The sun v^ll shine and raindrops fall. 

And frost will vie with snow. 
Forever and forever 

Dame Fortune's wheel will turn; 
And some must lose while others win; 

And all have time to learn. 
Forever and forever 

The brown and green and gold. 
Like fleeting thoughts, like night and morn. 

Still move on as of old. 
Forever and forever 

The right shall follow wrong; 
Just as sunlight crosses shade. 

Or sighs are lost in song. 
Forever and forever 

As Life its leaves unfold — 
Forever and forever thus — 

The New is but the Old. 



ASPIRATIONS. 
The little child laughs in its joyous play 
As he bounds along on a summer's day; 
Like the rippling brook, or bird on the wing. 
He has little to do but to laugh and sing. 

'Tis little he knows of another's pain. 
Whether he'll lose or others gain. 
Or what vicissitudes time may bring, — 
Of the present day he has but to sing. 

To laugh and sing, — to be light and gay. 
But as time rolls on to another day 
We find the child at his school-day tasks ; 
Ah! the end of these is all he asks. 

How hard he studies ! and how he strives 
For the happy end — the well-earned prize! 
He rises and falls a hundred times. 
The upward path to higher climes. 

At last this youth, from school set free. 

In another clime again we see. 

As he mingles and gropes with the busy world, 

A thousand cares upon him hurled. 



Hope mingles with fear and sorrow with joy. 
And he thinks of the past when he was a boy; 
Reflections soon cease — ^he works on with care; 
He'll work to the end, to be happy there. 

He's striving onward to win a name; 
He's struggling up the ladder of fame ; 
With so many trials 'tis hard to contend. 
But he'll stay them not for a happy end. 

No more he thinks of the present day, — 
Of the flowers that ope their buds in May — 
To a wintry day his thoughts now tend. 
And he hopes it will be a happy end. 

Through the battle of life he steadfastly goes; 
How he must suffer, ah, nobody knows; 
With many to cross him and few to befriend. 
He knows 'twill be well if he reach the end. 

He stands now alone on the ladder's last round ; 
The long-sought for name at last he has found ; 
'Tis sounded aloud, close-by and afar, - 
As still shines before him that one guiding star. 

Thus honored by all on the glad heights of Fame 
'Bove trials and triumphs, 'bove his work and his name. 
He fervently prays that the good God tend 
And keep his soul, to the happy end. 



Ah, how! oft in the days and years gone by 
We have given up all with a heavy sigh; 
And grieved o'er things as they had to be. 
Not knowing how **sweet is adversity". 

Not knowing that care and the toil of years 
Would bring something more than effusion of tears; 
Not knowing that labor is light to the soul, — 
That Faith leads on to the happy goal! 

As the beacon-light guides o'er the tempest tossed deep, 
So does the light of man's Faith ever keep 
His struggles beneath him; and thus he glides o'er 
The tempest of Life to God's golden shore. 

Work on, then, faint heart, for the good and the true. 
For the young and the aged, the old and the new; 
Fear nothing — have Faith — and the good God will send 
To thee and thy work a most happy end. 




DEC 14 1911 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



DFC J4 19} I 



